This past week we went on one of our last fieldtrips in Israel.  I can't believe that my time here is almost over.  Four months has flown by and I'm a little heart broken that I have to leave soon.  I don't like to think about, so I've convinced myself that if I ignore it, it won't ever come :)
For this particular fieldtrip, we visited five different churches all around Jerusalem.  I love churches!! I think they are among some of my favorite places to visit in the city.  They're all so beautiful.  The churches are so peaceful too.  When you cross the threshold of the building the walls seem to drown out the hustle and bustle of the city.  I forget sometimes that I am in the middle of a huge metropolitan area.  It's a wonderful escape.  We visited a Franciscan church, a Greek Orthodox, a Church whose primary language is Aramaic, a Russian Orthodox, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.   It was an amazing fieldtrip, probably one of my favorites.   I love how much religion is part of this city.  Everyone here is so open about, which is a refreshing change.
Last night was the beginning of the end.  Our first of our 'farewell' events was our formal talent show.  It was held in the auditorium overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem.  There were several piano pieces played and a plethora of vocal performances.  I am amazed at the talent this group possess.  Piano pieces that I have only dreamed of learning to play were performed impeccably.  One of my friends and I played a piano duet entitled 'My Heavenly Father Loves Me.' I loved practicing and performing.  It was well worth the weeks of preparation.  Enjoy!
Franciscan Chapel  


I love churches!

Joansie, Me, and Jenny

Getting restless during the fieldtrip......

The Crypt! 

Just a pretty street in the Old City 

Entrance to St. Mark's 

Interior of the Russian Orthodox Church 

Alpha and Omega, Lutheran Church of the Redeemer 

Erica and I the night of the Talent Show 

Josiah, my duet partner, and I after the Talent Show 

I was trying to come up with a pithy name for this post, but I decided to just be blunt.  I want a dog.  I want a dog more than a four year old wants Christmas morning to come.  This is new for me since I don't particularly like dogs.  They're kind of smelly and like to lick, but I've simply decided that I want one.  I'm torn between two different kinds, so maybe I'll just get both.  I want a cute little maltipoo named Daphne.  I feel that a little dog would be nice because they probably wouldn't make that big of mess.  They just play and make people happy.  I also want a big dog, though. Big dogs are good for protection (we all know how dangerous Provo is) and because you have a permanent running buddy.  I have thought a lot about what type of big dog I want and I've settled on an Old English Sheepdog.  They're just so cute!!! I want to name my sheepdog Trapper.  It's kind of tough, but not overly menacing.  Big dogs tend to hog the bed though; I'm not sure how I feel about that.  I only have a twin.  Maybe I'll find a dog that likes to sleep on the floor....
Old English Sheepdog

I want Trapper to look just like this 
Everday in Jerusalem is an adventure, but the last few have been gems.  On Shabbat (Saturday) two friends and I decided to visit Gethsemane and spend time thinking of Christ and his life.  To get to the Garden we either have to make a huge loop up by the Old City or cut through the Orson Hyde Gardens.  For security reasons, we're not allowed to go through Orson Hyde without a large group, so that was not an option.  We also didn't want to make a huge loop so we decided to take this trail above Orson Hyde.  The way to the garden was uneventful, although I'm sure that we looked like quite peculiar in our church clothes walking through dirt and weeds.  On the way back we decided that we wanted find a short cut.  We came to the bottom of the field that we cut through on the way and decided 'If we hope the wall, we'll cut even more time off.'  So, we did.  Hopping a stone wall in the middle of Jerusalem in a skirt is not as easy as it sounds.  After we got over the fence we began to walk in a diagonal path, but we soon realized that this was not the right field.  We turn off our diagonal path and make for the side of the field when we see this huge sign that read 'Beware of Dog.'  We don't think anything of it but as soon as we get to this driveway this massive German Shepard comes bounding towards us (well, it was more of a lazy trot).  We all start trying to get to the end of the driveway without looking like we were frazzled.  I was pretty sure that that dog was going to eat me in that field.  We finally make it to the road after what seems like an eternity and began walking on the road again.  Upset that our plan to take a short cut didn't work, we decide to hop the stone wall again.  We were pretty sure that this was the right field and the dog was at the bottom of the field.  We hop the fence for the second time and tip toe to other side and proceed to make the journey back to the JC unharmed.
The next day (Sunday) was a free day. In one of our classes our professor assigned us about forty sites around Jerusalem that we needed to visit during our semester here.  A group of friends and I decided that we would try to knock out a few and then come home and do homework.  Our first stop of the day was the Western Wall.  I got to put a prayer in the Wall which was super neat.  I always love getting to leave a little piece of myself behind.  After the Western Wall we made a stop at the Dome of the Rock.  There is security everywhere in Israel so we had to wait in line before going onto the temple mount.  We finally made it inside when one of friends was told that her skirt was too short.  Another girl in our group and her decided to switch skirts.  Joan and I were waiting for them when she found a 100 shekel note, which is about $30.  Having been raised by goodly parents, we decided that we were going to turn it in.  There was a group of tourists from somewhere in Eastern Europe I'm guessing and we asked if it was theirs.  The language barrier made it impossible to communicate so we decided to just find the police.  When we told them that we wanted to turn the money in they just laughed at us.  They were in shock that we were turning it.  They asked if we wanted to keep it, but we told them no.  The guard proceeded to take Joan's information and if no one claims it in three months she'll get it in the mail :) From the Dome of the Rock we went to one of our favorite shop keepers and asked him where in the Old City we could get some falafel.  The next thing we know we're winding through the dark alleyways of the Old Jerusalem.  I was fully expecting Jason Bourne to burst out of a window or something. We finally make it to the restaurant (which was super mega delicious).  The last thing on our agenda for the day was to visit the Israel Museum.  The museum is about an hour's walk from the JC so after we were done we didn't want to walk all the way across the city.  Our group split up and two friends and I headed for the bus stop.  The only bad thing was that none of us knew which bus would take us back to the Center.  We asked several people, but none of them could tell us which bus went to Mount Scopis.  Finally a bus pulled up and Sharla asked the driver if his bus was going to the JC.  He had this sly smile on his face and answered in the affirmative so we got on.  The bus then started travelling in the opposite direction than the one we needed to go.  Hoping that he would eventually turn around, we just sat there.  Eventually he did turn around and we made it home, safe and sound.
Finally today :) We had a field trip in the morning and then if we wanted to we could stay in the city.  The morning was blazing! I don't know what it is about Israel, but it seems that every time we have a field trip it tries to break heat records.  Weird.  Anyway, we saw 2 museums and the archaeological site of the temple.  Earlier in the morning three friends and I decided that we wanted to go the Ariel Museum, one of the sites on our professor's list.  The only English tour began at noon.  If we missed this time we would have to make an appointment, which isn't a big deal, just inconvenient. Brother Judd wrapped up our class at 11:45.  We all looked at each other and decided that if we sprinted we could make the noon tour.  We snapped a few pictures and then began our mad dash through the city.  We were in the southeastern corner and we needed to get to the center of the city.  To get to the Ariel we needed to run through the Jewish Quarter. Monday mornings, however, are the most popular time for bar mitzvahs.  We needed to cut through the Western Wall plaza in order to get to the Jewish Quarter and, subsequently, passed through several bar mitzvahs.  We looked just awesome running through these groups of Jewish families with our backpacks bouncing along behind us.  I'm sure they were all thinking, 'Crazy Americans!'  The heat was just starting to get to us when we came to largest staircase in the city.  They should probably rename them the 'Cliffs of Insanity.'  We began our marathon sprint up them.  In that moment I couldn't help but feel like I was in some teenage movie where we were running from some form of government law enforcement.  All we needed was some dramatic music by Boys Like Girls and the scene would be complete.  We finally get to the top and none of us can remember which way were supposed to turn.  We take off down one of them and decide to stop and ask for directions. At this point it's 11:55, so we're quickly running out of time.  The man that we ask has no clue where the museum, but all of a sudden I remember how to get there.  We had naturally picked the wrong road so we back track and get on the right road.  To get to the Ariel we had to pass through this small plaza to get to the right road.  As we come up on the plaza we see that it's clogged with a bar mitzvah party.  Knowing that time is slipping away, we push through and then sprint off towards the museum.  We keep sprinting despite all the nasty looks and confused comments by the locals.  One man asked us what had happened; I wonder if he thought we were running from danger because he looked pretty stressed out.  Around a few more corners and we finally make it to the Ariel at 11:59.  We ask the receptionist if we can still make the noon tour.  Laughing, she tells us 'yes' and then asks why we're so out of breath.  We explain the situation and she continues to laugh.  It turns out we were the only ones who showed up for the noon tour, so we could have been late :) Oh, the adventures of life!

Garden of Gethsemane 

Sharla and I at the Western Wall 

The three arches that mark the ancient entrance to the Temple Mount 

Just after our run to the Ariel Center
I must say that I am a little heart broken that I'm missing the entire month of July in the US.  I feel like July is month spent in celebration.  I think of bbq's, beaches, and late night games with the family.  I was particularly sad that I would be missing the Fourth of July.  Next to Christmas and Flag Day, the Fourth is my favorite holiday of the year.  I love the smell of sparklers in the night air and watching the little kids chase fireflies at dusk.  Our family always has a big bbq with watermelon and some sort of delicious dessert.  Then we set fire to whole box of fireworks and it's great! Ah, I just love the Fourth.
The JC, however, did not fail me.  We had exams on the actual Fourth, so the Center celebrated on the eight of July.  It was one of the best evenings that I've had in Jerusalem.  Our kitchen staff out did themselves with a spread of hamburgers, corn on the cob, and a plethora of American desserts.  They even had pecan pie :) The food was pure bliss.  While we sat on the patio eating that delicious, a myriad of classic American tunes was pumping out of the stereo system: Everything from the Beach Boys to the Charlie Daniels Band to Justin Beiber. We danced and played games and just soaked this little slice of America.  To top off the night, there was a little firework show.  We're not sure if it was meant for us or if it was for the Muslim wedding across the street.  As for me, I'd like to think that it was a gift from Uncle Sam.
Dancing outside the JC

Sweet Deliciousness 

Erica and I 

Love me some pecan pie :) 

Three-legged race

The Joker showed....

I went fishing....best. ruler. ever. 

Mr. Hyatt (the director), Me, and Brother Chadwick 
I feel like I start every blog post about how my last experience was the best one yet, but this time I think that it might be true.  Galilee was the most blissful ten days ever! I know why Jesus loved to be there so much.  The whole area is simply beautiful! The sea is this stunning blue with lacy white waves pushing towards the shore.  The sea is completely still in the morning, but as the day goes on the winds pick up and by the end of the day the waves are massive.  I love the sound of the waves washing up on the sand.  I could have sat on the beach forever :) Our hotel was right on the beach so I was able to sit on the beach late into the night.  I loved sitting there at sunset and think about Christ.  I was able to imagine him being in that beautiful place or walking on the water.
Our first field trip was to take a boat across the sea in the early morning. I sat in the bow of the ship and looked out over the water.  It was so peaceful and perhaps one of my favorite moments of our trip to Galilee.  When we got to the middle of the sea (which is actually a lot smaller than I thought it was), our captain put down the anchor and Brother Judd gave a devotional about Peter and Christ walking on the water. It was amazing to read that account while I was sitting on a boat on the Sea of Galilee.  I can't even describe how I felt in the moment. Best moment ever!!!
We visited several archaeological sites during our ten day trip.  We saw Capernaum, Dan, and Nazareth. We also so Megiddo (Armageddon, anyone?), Gamlah (a city on a hill), and Tabgah (the feeding of the 5000).  One of my favorite stops was the Mount of Beatitudes.  I loved reading the Sermon on the Mount in the place were it actually happened.  I have never been to such a serene place.  This little hill overlooks the Sea of Galilee and the gardens are immaculate. We met the sweetest nun in the entire world! Sister Mary Rose just added the experience all the more sweet.
The whole experience seemed surreal.  I felt like everyday I had to pinch myself to see if I was in a dream or not.  Most of the places that we saw were no longer inhabited, but that almost made it easier to imagine Christ being there. When we went to Dan I felt like I was hiking through the jungle.  It was a beautiful change to the intense desert I'm used to in Israel :) The heat was almost unbearable! I thought North Carolina was hot, but Galilee is probably what the earth's core feels like.  I felt sticky for 10 straight days.  I don't know how the people survive!!
Our last day was so great.  We went to a cemetery that is the resting place for several missionaries from the early 20th century.  It was amazing to stand there and sing 'I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go.' It was a definitely a tender mercy from the Lord and I felt honored to be able to pay my respects.  From there we went to Caesarea on the coast.  Before we went into the city we stopped and played on the beach and we all know how much I love water :) I don't know why it brings me such intense joy, but it just tickles me pink! The Mediterranean Sea is one of the best.  We got to play in the water and then it was back in the heat to see the ancient city where Paul appealed to Caesar.  Finally we went back to the JC.  It was so great to go back to Jerusalem.  I don't know what I'm going to do when it's time to return to the States.  Both Jerusalem and Galilee have stolen my heart and I don't they're going to give it back anytime soon.  I love Israel more than all the pita in the Old City!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Classmates and I at Be'at Shean

Chris creepin' on me at Nazareth

No talking in the church!

Sea of Galilee from Mount Arbel

Joan and I getting ready to cross the Sea 

I love fish........

and spaghetti!!!!!

Galilee roommates and I at church

Joanie and I at the Jordan River....and yes that is my slip :) 

Me at Megiddo 

Riding the chariot at Megiddo 

Doing laundry old school style 

Sunset on the Sea 

My toes in the Sea...happiness 

Elise and I on the watchtower 

Don't pick the wildflowers-it's illegal in Israel :( 

Peter Pan pose at Tel-Pan 

Getting ready to storm the castle at Nimrod

Not sure where we're going.....

Road sign to DC!

Me overlooking the Jezreel Valley from Mount Tabor 

Me in the Mediterranean :) 

Joanie and I love the sea! 

Me at Caesarea 
Best Fourth of July ever!! I was a little bit bummed that I wasn't going to be in the United States for the Fourth this year.  It's one of my favorite holidays of the year.  I love BBQs, fireworks, and hanging out the family.  It just seems to festive! I am starting to get the point where I missing somethings about the States.  Let's just say that I can't wait to have some cheesecake and blueberries when I get home :)
Nevertheless, it was a holiday well spent.  We began our Christmas celebration at the Herodian, Herod's palace just south of Bethlehem. Those kings sure knew how to build! There was an underground system of tunnels that led to all the cisterns.  I felt like a five year old playing hide and seek while I was down there :)
From the Herodian we made the short drive to Hebrew University.  We spent some time listening to students talk about their experience and then we had the opportunity to speak one-on-one with them.  All of them were Palestinian and live behind the Separation Wall.  Two were Muslim and seven were Christian.  It was interesting to talk with someone who my age here.  I feel like I spend a lot of time with older Israelis and Palestinians.  I loved being able to see how similar I was to these students.  They like to spend time with friends and worry about getting a job after college just like I do.  They listen to a lot of the same music and the girls like to shop :) It was so nice to have a connection with people.  They briefly touched on the conflict between Israel and Palestine and how much they wanted peace.  I admire them so much for making the best of their situation.  They did not have bitter feelings, but simply wanted to resolved the conflict peacefully.
After a delicious lunch (oh man, do I love pita!), the group took a tour of the Church of the Nativity.  The Church was beautiful! The nave was this cavernous room with an ornate altar at the end.  Underneath the alter is a grotto or cave.  Here is where Christ is believed to have been born. There is a star marking the site and other relics around the grotto.  It was so different from anything that I had imagined, but at the same time it seemed appropriate.  It was so humble and peaceful.  I loved it! Once we came up from the grotto we entered the Church of St. Catherine. This is the church where the midnight mass is broadcast from every Christmas.  The acoustics are amazing! We sang a few Christmas songs and it was the most amazing sound ever.  Ah, I can't even describe it.
The last stop on our trip was Shepherd's Field.  Shepherd's Field is on the north side of Bethlehem and looks into the city.  It is literally just a field.  I loved that there was no church or buildings.  It was so easy to imagine humble shepherds being told of the Savior's birth by a heavenly messenger.  Our class had a mini Christmas program where we had a few musical numbers and then sang hymns as a class.  We were then given time to reflect, write in our journals, and read our scriptures.  I was overwhelmed with gratitude for Christ.  I am so grateful that He came to this earth and lived an exemplary life.  It was an honor and privilege to celebrate His birth in Bethlehem and I will cherish this memory forever :)

Chapel at Bethlehem University 

Joan and I at the Church of the Nativity.  This star is where the birth of Christ is said to have happened. 

Inside the Church of the Nativity 

Ashlyn and I in the cistern tunnels of the Herodian

George, one of our security, and I 

Classmates and I in the cistern tunnels 

St. Catherine's Church 
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